The U.S. Army continues every day to rely on its rotorcraft fleet which includes main staples like the Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook.

GE Aviation’s capability to execute and deliver the most advanced turboshaft engines for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) modernization is accelerating. By the end of 2020, GE Aviation will complete the transition of nearly 1,000 engineers from its commercial programs to its military programs.

GE Aviation successfully began testing the first full engine in the Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program under a cooperative agreement between GE and the US Army. The engine is designed to meet a series of aggressive goals including a 35% reduction in specific fuel consumption, 80% improvement in power-to-weight, 20% improvement in design life and 45% reduction in production and maintenance costs relative to currently fielded engines.

GE Aviation’s largest turboshaft engine – the GE38-1B, designated the T408 by the US government – successfully powered the first flight of the U.S. Marine Corps’ CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter, on Tuesday, October 27.

Progress continues on the GE Aviation/US Army Future Affordable Turbine Engine (FATE) program with recent completion of component tests of the compressor, combustor and turbine.